My wife and I bought a 98 Montero Sport. It has 181000 miles on it and runs great. The body is in good condition with only 3 small spots of rust where the paint is bubbling up and the inside is great. Everything works and so far all ive done is change the oil and replace all the filters, install a new power antenna, and put four new tires on it. I've got $3500 in it and am torn on what to do next. Part of me wants to get a 97-99 cherokee to run around in and tinker with . I love jeeps and know that the cherokee is pretty easy to customize. But the more i drive the sport, the more i enjoy the uniqueness of it and it's character, if that makes sense. ive got a couple of questions if anyone can help me.

1. 180000 miles is a lot of miles even though these things are built well. It will need a timing belt service soon and i have already got a quote for around $740 for parts and labor. Is that a fair price?

2. It has an oil leak (which i presume it is on the back passenger side of the motor where the one seal that i've read is bad to leak) and the passenger side exhause manifold has a crack. How much am i looking at to repair these? I looked on ebay and found a reman for around $50 and an OEM for around $350? Best way to go here?

3. The security system likes to go off on it's own sometimes. I've turned the settings down so it wouldn't be so sensitive but it's still annoying. I don't have a remote either. I've thought about ordering one but didn't know if i needed to look for OEM or third party, how hard they were to program, and if that would even fix the problem.

4. Oil pressure seems low at idle. Driving is around 30psi. Is that normal?

Should I invest the money into the Montero or try and sell it/trade? I know i'm asking this on a "montero" forum but wanted some honest thoughts from people who have owned one. This is my first. Thanks for any help.

 

You are right - you are on the Montero forum so no Jeeps allowed
If you were to turn around and buy a Cherokee, you will need to put money into it as well. You already got a great 4x4 - work on getting it in shape.

The cost of the timing belt job sounds about right. Is this a dealership quote or from an independent mechanic?

Oil leak on the back of the cylinder head is likely the camshaft seal, however that would be on the driver's side. If this is the case, the seal itself cost couple of bucks and if you have and if you have any experience working on vehicles - you can replace it yourself. If, on the other hand, the leak is on the passenger side, then it is likely to be a valve cover gasket issue. To replace those is a little more involved procedure, but also doable for a home mechanic. Just plan on a good afternoon and you and take care of it.

Exhaust manifolds for Montero Sport are easier to find and you should have no problem replacing it yourself (passenger side is easy).

Best of luck to you. Hope you decide to stick with Montero instead of a Jeep

 

The Timing belt quote was from an independent. But i'm thinking about just doing it myself. Going to try and find a service manual so I can do some more research and when my tax return comes in, take a couple of days and do everything. I read for a while last night on this site and another and have decided to keep the Sport. I've already got some ideas on what to do with it!

 

Don't know if I need to make another thread, but as i'm finding there aren't as many options for customization, where is the best places to look for things like bumpers, bull bars, light bars, vent visors, etc?

 

You definitely can do a timing belt change yourself. Look for manuals in the first couple of threads on the Montero forum page. It will definitely help to read and understand the entire procedure prior to starting the job. There are also several relatively recent threads with people doing timing jobs and having questions. Check those out so that you can see the issues/questions that may arise.
As far as customization, there are plenty of sources. Just do more thorough searching the interwebs.

 

?? Never heard of a difference from left to right on the cam seal leak (or valve cover gasket) Both side cam seals are notorious leakers. I can attest after putting 227K miles on my Montero.

 

DIY instructions for changing the cam seals: https://mitsubishiforum.com/forum/mi...o-rings-36127/

 

Sorry, misspoke... Camshaft position sensor seal, not camshaft seal That one is on the back. Camshaft seals on the front and both sides will eventually need to be replaced.